In recent months, and indeed years, a tremendous amount of energy has been invested in determining the accurate naming for ‘synthetic’ diamonds.
If you somehow missed the news, the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has determined that ‘synthetic’ is the recommended sole description for diamonds which you might otherwise refer to as ‘lab-created’ or ‘lab-grown’.
CIBJO faced significant resistance from members of the broader jewellery industry during its deliberations, including a last-minute letter from a group of ‘senior industry participants’ requesting a deferral of any final decision on this nomenclature.
After announcing the decision in early September, the CIBJO board acknowledged that terms such as ‘lab-grown’ and ‘lab-created’ are widely used in markets worldwide. While national law and regulations take precedence where relevant, it was said that when communicating to an international audience, ‘synthetic’ should be used as it is the most unambiguous term.
And after all, that is what this is all about – eliminating ambiguity. CIBJO’s focus in the industry debate over terminology is on precise nomenclature, principles, rules and standards.
Separating descriptors for natural and lab-created stones brings clarity to the consumer, who cannot be expected to explore the subtleties of an evolving market – just as they can’t be expected to understand the irradiation of diamond, oil treatment of emerald, or lead-filling of ruby. These actions demand explanation.
For jewellers, this should not be viewed simply as a debate about terminology. It reminds us that the words we choose to describe a product are part of the product itself. A customer is not necessarily equipped to understand the technical distinctions between materials, treatments or manufacturing processes, nor should they have to be.
That responsibility sits with us as an industry. Gold has, of course, been long held to such standards. The English King Edward IV (1442-1483) ordered the independent assay of any gold product in 1478! It remains illegal in Britain to offer for sale any item that is not officially hallmarked as ‘gold’.
The more valuable or technically differentiated the product, the more important it is that its description is accurate. This protects the consumer, but it also protects the jeweller who has taken the time to source and explain a product properly.
Precision should not be regarded as a burden or a restriction on selling; it is a tool for building confidence. The lack of such precision in the pearl industry has concerned me for some years.
The dictionary description of a pearl as ‘a calcareous body, composed of concentric layers around a central nucleus, and organically produced by a living mollusc’ refers to the intrusion, by natural or contrived means, of a foreign object into the body (flesh) of the organism, which protects itself by encapsulating the intruder with nacre.
Also referred to as ‘pearls’ are sections of shell, on which a blister, or mabé, has been grown by the adhesion of a domed implant. The structure is then cut out of the shell, shaped and presented as a ‘pearl’. Further, an industry on Mallorca evolved around the coating of glass beads with a marine extract to simulate a pearl.
These are very different products, with different structures, origins, values and expectations attached to them. Yet to a consumer browsing a display cabinet, they can all potentially sit beneath the same broad word – ‘pearl’.
The problem is not that any one of these products exists. Each has its place in the jewellery market. The problem arises when the distinction between them is not made sufficiently clear at the point of sale.
Much like the confusion customers face around full, doublet, and triplet opals, the lack of clarity between a fully formed pearl and a section of shell is concerning.
As far as opal is concerned, the confusion stems mainly from the fact that they can look identical from the top, but they have vastly different physical construction, valuations, and care requirements.
There’s nothing wrong with any ‘variation’ in opal jewellery; however, unscrupulous or vague retail practices can lead buyers to mistake cheap composite stones for highly valuable, natural solid opals.
Far too often, we have encountered clients who bought items on their travels that weren't what they imagined.
New Zealand ‘Paua Pearls’ are marketed as being of great rarity and carry prices comparable to established gemstones.
While there is often some form of recognition, hidden deep on their websites, of these being ‘mabé’ pearls, that is seldom made evident to the consumer. These customers are captured by the beguiling colour patterns. Indeed, after challenging one specialist retailer directly, I was concerned by the salesperson's vague understanding.
The retailer is often the final, and sometimes only, point where a customer can get an accurate explanation of what they are buying. A precise descriptor on a label, invoice or website gives the sales professional something solid to work with. It makes the conversation easier, reduces the risk of misunderstanding and gives the customer confidence that the business has nothing to hide.
In the interests of transparency and accurate advertising description, such as we have seemingly finally achieved in the diamond market, our trade, which relies on high degrees of trust between vendor and purchaser, would be well served by more precise description of the nature of the product on offer.
Likewise, opals should require a declaration of full, boulder, doublet or triplet; pearls should carry descriptors of natural, cultured, or mabé. This approach is not about diminishing the appeal of alternative, manufactured, or composite products, and it is not about telling jewellers what they can and cannot sell. It is about ensuring that what is sold is described honestly and consistently.
A beautiful doublet opal does not become less beautiful because it is called a doublet. A mabé pearl does not lose its appeal because the customer understands its construction. And a synthetic diamond can be assessed on its own merits without being confused with a natural diamond.
The jewellery industry has always depended on trust. We ask customers to make significant purchases based not only on what they can see, but on what we tell them about a gemstone's origin, composition, treatment and value. That trust is hard to win yet much easier to lose.
Name: David Wheeler
Business: The Artist Goldsmith
Position: Co-Owner
Location: Richmond, New Zealand
Years in the industry: 45
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